Detector for counterfeit money



A. DOLINSKY DETECTOR FOR COUNTERFEIT MONEY June 2, 1953 Filed Feb. e, 1951 AMS m o moi m. u n 511m/ Hb M M W @M1111 m N l 5 M M. ...Tb www im? .w S1 .m1 m Iwhlllll.- A Q N 9L 1 2 @N E @N .q Nm mm 1\ BE.. Mainz QN .1.11 A 1 526 5x F5; \Q 11N E i M N mm- 3 9 wm x .mm Y :1 1&1 .d- |1 H| Imn ma n.. 1 1L .Fl 1 l 1 I 1 I IIVIL ATRNEY Patented June 2, 1953 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE DETECTOR FOR COUNTERFEIT MONEY Alexander Dolinsky, Cleveland Heights, Ohio Application February 6, 1951, Serial No. 209,631

1 Claim.

This invention relates generally to means for detecting and identifying counterfeit United States paper money, and more particularly to a method and device for identifying such spurious bills by means of the serial number and check letter on the bill.

Counterfeiting is a continuously existing evil which is as old as money itself. Although Treasury experts and certain others, such as bank personnel, who handle large quantities of money, are adept at detecting obvious counterfeits by visual inspection, the general public is not qualified to recognize spurious bills. The Government oflicials who are engaged in detecting counterfeiting have by repeated public announcements made it clear that the most effective method of apprehending counterfeters is to detect the spurious money at the time it is given to storekeepers and the like. More often than not, it is impossible to trace the origin of the counterfeit bill if it is detected for the rst time at a bank or by a Government expert.

It is the primary object of my invention to provide :means for identifying and detecting counterfeit paper money which may be utilized effectively by members of the general public, such as storekeepers.

Another object of my invention is to provide a simple, non-technical method for detecting counterfeit bills.

Still another object of my invention is to provide a detecting device of the character described which is so inexpensive that it can receive wide ldistribution.

A further object of my invention is to provide a detector of the character described which is simple in construction and adapted to mass production.

Other objects and advantages of my invention will be apparent during the course of the following description. In the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification and in which like numerals are employed to designate like parts throughout the same.

Fig. 1 is a plan view of the face of a counterfeit money detector embodying the features of my invention.

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the blank out of which the detector of Fig. l is formed.

Fig. 3 is a rear plan View of the detector of Fig. l in the assembled unfolded condition.

Fig. 4 is a transverse cross-sectional view taken as indicated by line 4-4 of Fig. 1.

Referring more particularly to Fig. 2 of the drawings, I have shown a die-cut paper board blank ID of generally rectangular form which is scored as at Il and I2 to `dene a rectangular 2 panel I3 and a rectangular panel I4. The blank I0, for convenience in manufacture, may be cut from an oversize sheet I5 of paper board stock, indicated by the dotted outline in Fig. 2.

One portion of the blank Ill is of slightly greater width than the remainder of the blank, and thus defines a panel IB which is severed from the blank along the line I'I. That portion of the blank which lies intermediate the score line I2 and the cutting line I1 forms a flap I8 as will appear more fully hereinafter.

The panel I4 has portions thereof removed to provide three horizontally aligned rectangular apertures or windows I9, 28 and 2|, which are disposed substantially centrally of the panel I4, for a purpose to be described. Y

The panel I6 is slit as at 22 to provide a longitudinally extending opening in the panel. This slit is of predetermined length and does not extend to 'the margins of the panel, that is, it is not open at either end thereof. The slit 22 in effect provides a loop portion 23 on the panel I6.

The flap I8 is provided with two horizontally extending parallel slits 24 and 25 which terminate at the cutting line Il so that when the panel I6 is severed from the blank I0, a tongue 26 is defined by the parallel slits 24-25.

In Fig. 3 I have shown one step in the assembly of the detector, the same being viewed from the rear prior to the vfinal folding thereof. It will be seen that the blank I0 has now been severed into two separate sections, one section oomprising the panels I3 and I4 and the flap I8, and the other section being the panel I6 which, as will become apparent, is a slide card and will be so referred to hereinafter.

The slide card I6 is assembled to the flap I8 by means of the tongue 26 which underlies the loop 23 of the card I6 and traverses the slit 22. It will be noted that the engagement of the tongue 26 with either end of slit 22 serves to limit the range of vertical movement of the slide card I6 relatively to the panel I4.

The iiap I8, holding slide card I6, is then folded inwardly on score line I2 so that the tongue 2,6 lies adjacent the panel I4. The panel I3 is also folded inwardly toward panel I4 on score line Il so that it overlies flap I8. An adhesive, or other similar securing means, is then utilized to secure flap I8 to panel I3, the resulting arrangement of parts being shown in section in Fig. 4 and in plan in Fig. 1.

Thus the panel I4 and the flap I8 and panel I3 form an open-end envelope 21 in which the slide card I6 is slidably received for vertical movement, as indi-cated by the dotted lines in Fig. 1. However, as aforementioned, the slide tally below the apertures lille? and; 211 so tliatf.

the tongue does not interceptv these apertures when the device is assembled: Thereby, three isolated portions of slide card(y Iareeatrall-times:

simultaneously visible through the apertures.`

On the face of slide card IB are imprintedthree columns 29, 3Q andifiil, of identifying charactors.v These columns are so positionedi that columntiswisible through WindowA i9; column z'iisvsiblethroughl Window 20:;- andvcolumrr 3l is visible through window. 2i.

Onthe exterior faceofpanelieis imprinted 1an. rectangle having dividing lines 33 which outlineor-frame the apertures I9; 2t 'and 2i. Imprinted aoove each of the apertures is an identif-ying.: character and; as illustrated in Fig. l, I havegarbitrarily used"the-lettersY X; Y and Z to identify i'hewinclovvsI l; 2t and 2i, respectively. Below windowslleandii; are printed the Words Key Number?"and belowrwindotv 2t are printed the words Check Letter.v

New: Iwill proceed toy describe my method of identifying counterfeitecurrency andthe manner inzwhich the: detector; deviceis used.

Each billwhich isissued by. the Unitedy States Treasury carries .on itsface -a serial number consisting of several numerals and-one or morev let'- ters of the alphabet; Each bil-ll also has in its lower right: hand. corner and in itsupper left handrcorner, a small'characteristic letter of the alphabet.. In genuinecurrency, the serial numbers and the characteristic letters bear a denite relationshipA to each other. which can be eX- pressed by the following mathematical formulae:-

If"Sis:the-surn:of 'the digits-in a seria'lnumloer,- and Misthe largest multiple of 'six which is less thans; thenS-Mi-Q.

n those-instances where Q' and the serial number\-itself.=`arefboth-odd-'or both even, then Q is ther numerical equivalent of I the characteristic alphabetical letter appearing on the currency` Thatis; ifQ Iis. l then itrepreser-its thelletter A; if K is 2, it represents B; etc;

In .thosefinstanceswhere- Q. and the serial nurnbex-'rtselfarey not both odd'. or botlreven,V then Q is three less than-the numerical'equiva-le-nt of the characteristicalphabetical letter appearing on the currency. That is, if Q is l then the numericalequivalent-'o' Vthealphabet is 4 or D; if Q is 2 it represents E; etc; Eachalphabetical letteralso has an alternate`v` or substitute letter accordi-ngl to Vthe following f table:

rom.- the. -foregoing data` it .will .be apparent that Q,ranges..in,numerical,value from 1,- to 6,

I4 and that each value of Q represents a certain letter of the alphabet from A to F or their alternates from G to L.

Using this data, a genuine bill will have the following characteristic letters appearing thereon:

Serial No. is- Qs.

Odd Even A or G D or J E or K B or H C or I F or L A or G D or I E or K B or H C or I F or L If. theacharacterisic letter does not appear in upper left-hand corner on the currency, then the bill is not. genuine..

The-foregoing data .isprintedon the slide card 16 thusly:4 colurnu i; lists. the various combinations, of.' characteristic. letters, column Se lists values of.Q1,matching Athose letters if Q and the serial number are not' both odd'or even, column 2e listslvaluesbf.Qniatching the letters if' the serialnumberand Qare both either odd or even.

It, will; be apparent; that as slide card i6 is movedyerti'cally, intheV envelope 2T, column 29 willappear. in window. ltgjcolumn twill appear in window Zitandcolumn'i will appear in windew. 21.

The .detectorcan thenbe utilized to ,determine thegenuinenessof 'currency by proceeding ,as iol.- lowsi.

l. Addalllthenumeralsin the serial number to. obtainv the.. sum.

2;.S1lbtract. from the sum the largest multiple of. six. which. is. less than.. the sum,. to find thekeyL number.

3A, Findthe. keynumber in X Window if the key. number. andr the. serialk number are. both odd. on even...

3B.. Find the. ley, number in Y window if oneisoddandthe. other. is even.

4. The check letters appear in Z" window. If either, ofthe. checlelettersappear ontliebill, it isgenuine; if not, .it .is ,counterfeit Instructions, such as the above, couldconveniently. be; printed. onthe outer. side of panel. i3'.

Thismrocedure. can be applied: specically. to the iolloivingtypical. examples; A. $1.0 bill .has serial number BT57977293 The sum of the number..is.,53, ancL 48., Whchis ,the nearest .multiple of six ssubtracted; therefrom leaving a key number 5.' Since both tlieiy number and the serial'number are odd, the slide card it would belmoved.. until 5 appears. in windovv. XI The letters.. BTK would. then appear. in window Z and. oney or theother. of. these letters will be the4 characteristic lettenofthebill; if it is genuine.

Similarly. to check.. a.. $5' bill having serial number R46477'700A, it..will be. foundlthatthe sum..is..35,from which is. subtracted 30 to give a keynumber of.f5. Inasmucli as. the keynurnber is oddand the serial number is even,..the.sli`de card.. I 6 is .moved .until .5. appears in window. Y; thus giving the characteristicletters. Bf-HJ Similarly serial. number. R46477697A. which is odd,v would` give .-an =even key. number, ,2, ,and the characterstim letterswouldlbe .EL-K.

Itwilltlius be appa-.rent .that my method. of ,identifying a.. spurious-.billis simple andjcan be easily usedlby,nonfexperts.v The. detector device quickly. correlates..tl1e..necessary data andis so inexpensively, mader that it pis. within. the nanf cial means of every person handling bills, and thus can receive Wide distribution.

It is to be understood that the form of my invention, herewith shown and described, is to be taken as a preferred example of the same, and that various changes in the shape, size and arrangement of parts may be resorted to without departing from the spirit of my invention, or the scope of the subjoined claim.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

A detector of the character described, comprising an open-ended envelope, consisting of an apertured front panel, a back panel integral with said front panel, and a flap integral and coextensive with said front panel and secured to the inner face of said back panel, said flap having a linear longitudinally extending edge, a data card, visible through said apertures in said front panel, slidably contained in said envelope and longitudinally movable relatively thereto, said card having a longitudinally extending slit therein overlying said flap, and means traversing said slit and abutting one end of said slit when said card is aligned with an open end of said envelope, whereby to limit longitudinal movement of said ALEXANDER DOLINSKY.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,155,957 Ruth Apr. 25, 1939 2,335,713 Vogel Nov. 30, 1943 OTHER REFERENCES A Description of All Classes of Paper Currency Issued Since July 10, 1929, mimeographed pamphlet comprising 6 sheets published by the Bureau of Engraving and Printing. 

